Vir, GSK Halt Enrollment for COVID-19 Antibody in NIH-Sponsored Trial

Vir Biotechnology and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced yesterday that they will stop enrolling participants in a U.S. trial arm evaluating their COVID-19 antibody treatment, VIR-7831, which is part of a larger phase 3 study assessing potential coronavirus therapeutics being conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The drugmakers said they made the decision after the trial’s independent safety and monitoring board found current data didn’t offer a clear picture of what clinical benefit the antibody would provide.

“While we are disappointed with the recommendation … We are encouraged by the safety profile of VIR-7831 and by the possibility of a benefit on top of remdesivir and corticosteroids in this advanced cohort of patients,” said George Scangos, CEO of Vir Biotechnology.

VIR-7831 is also being assessed in a different ongoing phase 3 trial evaluating it for early treatment of COVID-19 in adult patients at high risk of hospitalization and death, as well as being studied  in an ongoing phase 2 trial evaluating the therapy combined with Eli Lilly’s bamlanivimab in adults with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 infection.